president, i rise today in praise of majority leader harry reid. yesterday our esteemed majority leader said the following -- quote -- "my friend from texas is like the schoolyard bully. he pushes everyone arnol arounds losing, and instead of playing the game according to the rules, he not only takes the ball home with him, but he changes the rules." today, leader reid continued his demonstration of civility, referring to me as the -- quote -- "very junior senator from texas." as i noted yesterday, the senate is not a schoolyard. setting aside the irony of calling someone a bully and then shouting them down when they attempt to respond, today i wish simply to commend my friend from nevada for his candor. yesterday, i expressed my concern that sending the budget to conference could be used to pass tax increases or a debt ceiling increase through reconciliation, a back-door path that would circumvent the long-standing protections of the minority in the senate, and i observed that i would readily consent to the leader's request if he would simply agre